State Lawmakers Want SBI Probe of Flights From Johnston Airport

RALEIGH, N.C. —

A group of state lawmakers wrote to Attorney General Roy Cooper on Thursday asking that he order the State Bureau of Investigation to probe reports of illegal activity at the Johnston County Airport.

It's a complicated case involving international terror suspects, allegations of kidnapping and torture and a suspected tie to Smithfield.

The letter from 22 legislators asks for the SBI to investigate Aero Contractors.

The CBS news magazine "60 Minutes" aired a story in 2005 about secret Central Intelligence Agency flights that were part of the abduction of terrorism suspects, a process known as rendition.

"60 Minutes" said the flights began in North Carolina.

WRAL has learned that a Swedish news crew traced the flights to Aero Contractors, a company based at the Johnston County Airport.

Aero denies any involvement in the flights.

The lawmakers told Cooper that the SBI already has turned down one request to investigate the claims, saying it was out of the agency’s jurisdiction. Their letter cites laws that they said show the state does have jurisdiction to investigate.

A Cooper spokesperson said his office has the letter and is reviewing it.

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Latest Comments

One clip on each Teste will do the trick !

geowilrlst
January 22, 2007 3:02 a.m.

Black is negative and Red is positive !

geowilrlst
January 22, 2007 3:01 a.m.

200 years?? Some of my ancestors have been fighting domestic terrorism since 1492.

oneofdegataga
January 19, 2007 10:40 a.m.

wral_fake, your understanding of history is at a 1st grade level. we have been dealing with terrorizm in this country for over 200 years, used to be called sabatage, we call it terrorizm now because that word is scary. Let's just let the little Adolf in the White House do whatever he wants. That's what the German peolple did.

nascarnutnc
January 19, 2007 10:14 a.m.

If we are at war because we were attacked, then why aren't we at war with the people who attacked us? Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11. Where's Osama bin Laden? Why did we pull our special forces out of Afghanistan?